A joint commission of the Iranian government has approved construction of a canal between the Aras River and Lake Urmia, Governor of the East Azerbaijan Province Ahmad Alireza Beigi said, Iran.ru reports.
The canal will run through the cities of Marand and Shabuster. It will cost $2.5 million.
Urmia covers approximately 6,000 square kilometers. Migrating birds use it as a resting point. It often dries out. Ecologists say that the lake needs more support from the government.
During the Iranian president’s last visit to Tabriz, a project on supplying the lake with water from Aras was approved. 600 million cubic meters of water will enter Urmia from Aras.
A spokesman for the Iranian government, Ahmed Ali Keikha, said earlier that another proposal had been to use water from the Caspian Sea. The proposal is being reviewed. He added that there are two reasons for water reduction in Urmia: lack of rain in the last ten years and development of industry using the water.
Every liter of water in Urmia contains 330 grams of salt. The indicator was 160-170 grams before. Half of the lake has dried out.
